Clop-Clop
The sound of the horses' movements echoed through the vast, deserted forest.
'I hope I haven't made a mistake', thought Kael, the person inside the carriage.
The sun had already set, and night had fallen.
Kael didn't know what time it was, but it was undoubtedly very late.
To travel from his home, Virkninges House, to the domain of Cratfell County, he had to take a carriage, and even with a carriage, the journey was quite long, taking hours and hours.
Looking at the teleportation stone in his hand, the only good thing left behind by the original Kael, he couldn't help but smile with relief.
After all, according to today's chapter one of Mysthic, the protagonist's mother, Eleanor, would die at midnight.
"And this was the beginning of the hellish cycle and vicious cycle of eliminating MILFs" Kael sighed.
Yes, right from the start, the author had made clear his hatred for these wonderful mature beauties.
Kael could barely refrain from uttering an insult.
"Anyway, today is my ticket to success. If I play my cards right, I can change the fate of this novel" he thought.
At first, he was a little unsure. After all, Eleanor's death would cause the protagonist to take a path of revenge against the family that had murdered his mother, the Raidel family.
However, if he didn't intervene, not only would he not receive the rewards from the system, but he also wouldn't survive. The plot didn't matter to him at the moment.
"Besides, the plot has already been changed by the death of the original Kael, which means there is a variable in this world" he thought, sighing wearily.
"Stop" Kael declared, and instantly the carriage came to a halt.
Getting out, Kael took a couple of silver coins from his storage ring and handed them to the carriage owner.
"Thank you. Consider this payment for your silence. I was never here," he said, his tone becoming threatening.
The man, already somewhat elderly, nodded vigorously, as if he were a chicken pecking at corn.
Kael nodded, walking into the depths of the dark forest.
"Fortunately, it's a full moon, so there's enough light. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to see anything," he thought, moving nimbly through the different areas.
Kael had to admit that despite the poison and being called useless, the body was actually quite agile and full of vitality.
However, after a while, he grew tired.
"I curse you, F-rank endurance," he muttered, panting.
However, he had already gotten close enough, and according to his calculations, this was the exact moment.
And, in fact, he had not been mistaken.
"Hafff... ah," a woman emerged from among the trees, her battle armour almost completely destroyed, with cuts and wounds everywhere.
"Eleanor Cratfell," Kael recognised her instantly, the Lioness of War and Count Cratfell, Eleanor.
Despite all her wounds, her beauty was still there, incredibly seductive and captivating.
Her gaze, full of determination and stubbornness, made any young man fall in love.
Leaning against a tree, Eleanor gasped for breath as she clutched her visibly shattered arm.
Still, she had a slight smile on her face. "At least I'm sure he escaped now," she murmured, feeling that all this suffering she had endured was worth it in the end.
"So, there you are."
Hearing the unfamiliar yet strangely familiar voice, Eleanor tensed up, a bitter smile spreading across her lips.
Three men emerged from the other trees, each looking menacing.
They didn't have a scratch on them, just staring calmly at Eleanor. "Any last words?" asked the man in the middle, the obvious leader of the trio.
Eleanor spat. "Go to hell," she said, pulling a long sword from her storage ring.
"Nice last words," the man smiled coldly, releasing his wind power into his hand.
The other two men just watched silently, knowing their mission was over.
"Three mercenaries from Raidel, huh?" Kael thought, watching the whole situation from a corner, completely camouflaged.
For today's occasion, he had dressed entirely in black, and given how focused everyone else was, they hadn't noticed his presence.
"Besides, the Mana inside me is possibly much less than that of a normal human because of this poison," Kael smiled. Being poisoned, incredibly, had helped him.
Observing his Unique ability and the current situation on Eleanor's side, he decided to act.
[Shadow Speaker: The user can communicate with shadows] is a simple but very powerful description.
Looking at the different shadows of the trees, Kael decided to pray that it would work.
"Shadows, please, please help me, distract those mercenaries over there," Kael said with his hands clasped together.
A good man knows when to back down and when to act, when to be humble and when to be arrogant.
You could say that Kael was the exact definition of that phrase at this moment.
"Who's there?" The mercenaries, experts in battle and possibly Grand Mages, had heard the slight noise Kael had made.
He quickly hid and slipped through the shadows of the forest, approaching Eleanor.
The mercenaries were alarmed.
But before they could do anything, shadows behind the mercenaries began to move, dozens of shadows around the area moving.
"An ambush?" They were surprised.
They had now turned their attention to the impending attack.
"Perfect!" Kael felt relieved and happy to see the shadows in action.
Finally, he had reached Eleanor, right behind the tree she was leaning against. They were almost back to back, with only the tree between them.
"I am not an enemy," Kael said, quickly revealing his position. "This distraction was orchestrated by me. We have little time. I have a teleportation stone to escape from here. Do you accept or not?"
"Who are you?" Eleanor asked, bewildered. She couldn't guess who would help her in this situation.
"That doesn't matter," he declared. "I can tell you later. Just tell me, will you escape with me or not?"
"Fine," Eleanor agreed, but her determined gaze did not waver. "But tell me now, what do you want?"
As the leader of a large family and a battle-hardened warrior nicknamed the Lioness of War, she knew that kindness without something in return did not exist in this world.
Kael understood this, so he quickly clarified. "Don't worry, I have a few demands, I can swear to that."
At this statement, Eleanor nodded.
For the first time, she was going to trust a man.
Seeing that Eleanor had finally agreed, Kael smiled, pulling a teleportation stone from his ring.
"Okay, hold my hand."
Kael held out his hand, and Eleanor took it without even turning around to see who her saviour was.
The mercenaries had realised what was happening, but it was too late.
Kael broke the stone, and peeking out from the tree for the first time, he smiled at the mercenaries.
"Bye bye."
And just like that, the two disappeared.
[Mission Complete]